Maryam Moghadam, the lead actress in "Closed Curtain", which Panahi co-directed with longtime collaborator Kambuzia Partovi, said her character represented Panahi's desperation.

"She's the dark side, the hopelessness of every person and specifically the director in the movie," she said. "The dark side of his mind, the hopeless power — that part that doesn't hope any more and wants to give up."